Optimism Discussion: The Laker's Sky Is Not Falling

i am so glad this gif has returned and it couldn't have come at a better time.

 

This young core is just amazing. Huge thank you to the FO for making the RIGHT choice and getting Walton this year for this group. I'm not sure how many games we will win, but we will be a joy to watch.

 

I think Barns is making a version, and bet you 1 trillion dollars his is better.

 

I feel like we are all being cautiously optimistic. The young players need a few years to develop. They show potential. We'll be fun to watch.

I understand that cautious line of thinking. BUT there is a chance this an elite team in the making. When Durant, Westbrook, and Harden were in their first years, their fans were probably saying the same thing. Hoping their potential panned out and they'd be able to win some games. Same with Steph and Klay. Their fans probably hoped they'd become the players to lead them to runs in the finals, but they'd be fools to proclaim it as a certainty so early on. Well same here.

We have a talented core of young players who seem to be high character guys with great work ethic. The sky is the limit. ESPN might be foolishly writing us off right now. But in 2-3 years, we might have 3+ all stars on our team.

 

By 2020 we will be one of the premier teams in the NBA. Title #17 and beyond is not too far away.

 

Of course ESPN is writing us off. It's no secret they hate the Lakers. I'm not being cautiously optimistic because I think I've seen enough from our young guys to know they're gonna be really good and a couple of them are gonna great.

With no head coach last season having to play with Kobe they still played very well and had stretches of brilliance and greatness. What I've seen from Ingram I've seen nothing to think he won't be great too. He has the entire package.

We literally could not have a more perfect head coach. Luke is such a breath of fresh air. The way he talked about our kids, the way he talked about how he wants to play an exciting, fast paced, dynamic brand of basketball that is gonna be exciting for us fans. He really wants to please the fan base which is great to see.

He didn't talk about creating the same culture Byron did, Phil did, Riley or anyone else. That was really refreshing to hear from Luke. He's gonna do his own thing. We're gonna move the ball, share the ball, play solid defense, actually teach the young guys, and he understand the entire process.

Said don't focus on winning, but getting better each day. Working hard. Not getting satisfied. Working together as one. We're building from the ground up, but it's gonna be exciting to watch. It's gonna take awhile, but I believe we have something special in the making. We have everything. A good GM, the perfect head coach, best young talent in the NBA, cap space, and lots of excitement.

 

If we get Durant and Westbrook next year which is at least an outside possibility we could be back in the Finals by the next season and definitely champions by 2019.

I'm so optimistic. It's a great time to be a Lakers fan. Haven't been this optimistic since the Kobe/Gasol days. Even when we got Nash and Howard I honestly didn't really expect a championship. Thought the team was too old and would break down and they did.

This team has so much youth, athleticism, excitement, skill, basketball IQ. You have two guys who look like they have cold blooded killer in them in Julius and D'Angelo. Both having game winners this season. Not afraid to take the big shot. Both getting better as the season wore on.

Clarkson and Nance Jr. are just rock solid, steady contributions. At the very least will be elite great bench players. See no reason they can't at least be solid starters. Clarkson is a hard worker and with an actual coach he'll get his defense ironed out. Nance just does everything and was an absolute steal.

Ingram wow I still can't believe we got this kid. He's the best player in the draft and I don't even think it's that close. It's not just his shooting, but the defense, the fact that he doesn't require the ball in his hands, he's a genuinely good kid and hard worker. He wants to be great and he's gonna be. I don't think we can find a better fit if we tried and we haven't had a three and D like him in forever. Probably since Ariza and Artest and he's a much better version of them.

Ingram can also isolate and when things break down make a play. He can get to the basket and also an underrated playmaker. It gives us really four legit offensive weapons. Four guys who can create their own shot and we may get another guy in free agency. Obviously we have to move the ball, but how many times over the years did Kobe bail us out at the end of the shot clock? You have to have guys like that and we have four of them.

We are just gonna be so fun and exciting to watch. We're gonna run, run, and run some more. What we saw against the Warriors when we blew the s*** out of them is gonna be what we'll see all season. D'Angelo pushing the ball with Ingram on one wing and Randle on the other or Jordan and Ingram flashing to the three point line.

Defensively I love our potential. Nance Jr and Ingram are already solid defenders. D'Angelo is on his way there and while Randle and Clarkson aren't they certainly have the physical gifts too. They just need to refine their technique and make less mental mistakes and with an actual defensive scheme in place.

We won't be over helping anymore, but will do it when necessary, more rotations, funneling if we have a shot blocker, icing, extending, zoning the paint when necessary, funneling toward the baseline. All those things will be coming into play. Not to say we'll be a great defensive team off the bat, but we shouldn't be horrible or at least all time horrible. The versatility with Ingram and Nance will help immensely because we can switch more and we won't be scrambling.

Having multiple playmakers like the Warriors have. Like Luke said Ingram or Randle can be our Draymond or even both. Russell obviously being the best one, Clarkson can orchestrate as well. When things break down or the first action doesn't work having another playmaker who can get us into another action will be a huge plus.

I loved seeing Luke talk. He has a real plan in place. He's so smart, understands the game of basketball, you really get the feeling he loves this young core and wants to see them grow and he understands this will be a long process and he embraces it. As we all should. As I do.

These kids all seem to get along real well. It's clear that notion of them shunning Russell was BS. They understand he made a big mistake, but they also understand he's human and they can forgive and forget because D'Angelo is part of the future here.

They're so young yet they also seem to get along so well. Being able to communicate with one another. So much of basketball is communication and trust. They really are in this together and wanna be great. It's a beautiful thing. We just saw the great Kobe Bryant finish a masterful and brilliant career with a mesmerizing finale and now we transition into the next era of Lakers basketball.

 

We're slowly recovering from this...

 

We got Brandon Ingram. I'll keep saying it till I get tired of it, but I don't think I ever will. No matter what happens in free agency we got Brandon f***ing Ingram. Our next superstar.

 

I've been saying all along that the greatest improvement will come from within, not through free agency. We'll go as far as the kids take us.

 

Preach guys. Love the fans that either come to these boards to drag everyone down cause of how they're feeling during a beyond premature time in the new year, or need to be REPEATEDLY talked into the big picture/true circumstances.

What's the combined salary for Russ/Randle/Ingram/Nance/Zubac/Anthony Brown? What's the current CBA at?

This is the NBA, you know, it's 5 on 5. Not like soccer or football.

Clarkson is also on a NEW phenomenal deal. If literally any of the young big 3 emerge, watch what a 180 we do where then Mitch&co can be in the drivers seat on how to approach the future next starting next summer.

 

My optimism? Clarkson's deal and drafting Ingram. Clarkson is a steal, even though I have my doubts of him being a big time contributor on a great team.

 

Don't forget Russell, Randle, or Nance Jr.